Police yet to produce evidence that DHA resident killed family

Relatives find it hard to believe, insist the family was murdered.

KARACHI: The family of five was laid to rest on Wednesday but the police have yet to confirm that the 50-year-old man killed himself after shooting down his wife and children.

Abdul Jawwad Durrani, who was the chief financial officer of a Sanghar sugar mill, was found shot dead inside his bungalow near Yasrab Imambargah in DHA Phase IV on Tuesday morning along with his wife, Wajiha, 11-year-old son Rehan, nine-year old daughter Rameen and four-year-old son Arif.

Shortly after the bodies were found, the police officials claimed that Durrani committed suicide after shooting down the rest of his family. The police have, however, yet to prove this with sufficient evidence, which has made the extended family sceptical. “A man who loved his family and children to bits can never take away their life,” said a family member at the funeral. “Durrani and his family all loved each other. This cannot be possible.”

Other relatives were also of the view that the family was murdered. “Durrani can never do this,” said one family member. “It seems like the family was forcibly made unconscious and then shot by a pistol with a silencer.” He insisted that the police were mistaken and they will have to bring sufficient proofs to convince them otherwise.

The wife and the children were settled in Dubai and had only arrived on Saturday. They were scheduled to return on Tuesday evening.

Funeral prayers

The funeral prayers were offered at Sultan Masjid in DHA on Wednesday and were attended by several relatives and neighbours, all of whom were shocked over the incident. The victims were later laid to rest at the DHA graveyard. Some family members also prevented media representatives from coverage.

Investigations

The police have not registered any case so far because they said the family was busy with the funeral. They also said they are waiting for the forensic and the chemical examination reports to probe further. The police will also record the statements of the extended family.



A senior officer told The Express Tribune that the phone records of Durrani and his family would also be helpful in investigating the case and they have approached the cellular phone companies to procure them.

‘Email shows he did what he thought was best’

Clifton division SSP Nasir Aftab insisted that Durrani apparently killed the family and himself for their betterment. “There is no doubt Durrani loved his family,” he said, quoting the email Durrani wrote an hour before the incident. “That is why he killed them because he wanted what was best for them.”

“According to the email, Durrani killed his family because he wanted to send them to heaven and he felt that his children would have gone to hell had they continued to live,” he added.

Durrani was extremely disheartened from society, said SSP Aftab. “If my children continue to live in this society, they will also become evil and then they will lose heaven,” he quoted the email. “I know that suicide is haraam [forbidden], but I am doing this for my family. If I do this, I know I will go to hell, but at least my wife and children will go to paradise.” For Aftab, the case is clear but he said the police will investigate further to satisfy itself and the other family members.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 2^nd, 2013.